


An Impromptu Étude

by skyhillian



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, In-Universe Ninja Sex Party, Infidelity, Info per Chapter, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Polyamory, Prostitution, Smut, Wild West AU, mentions of Jon, solo play, unsafe driving practices, yes a lot of it is egobang but that's what happens when you let a trashcan write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2018-10-24 13:06:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 13,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10742295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyhillian/pseuds/skyhillian
Summary: Updated (almost) daily. // I'm doing the Don't Break the Chain system, and my goal is to write a minimum of three paragraphs a day inspired by a song from my iTunes. Warnings/Genre/Pairing will be listed per chapter.





	1. The A-Team by Ed Sheeran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: non-graphic talk of prostitution  
> genre: angst  
> pairing: dan/oc

_Light’s gone, day’s end, struggling to pay rent. Long nights, strange men._

———

The bitter taste of spunk is still strong on his tongue as he slips into a nearby Wawa to buy himself a few protein bars and some gatorade. He hasn’t eaten for most of the day, and he’s still short $200 on what he needs to make his rent, so there’s no way he’s getting off of the street until the early hours of the morning at this rate.

Once he has his meager dinner, he inhales half of the first power bar and takes a deep drink from the gatorade. Thankfully, it masks the taste of his last John’s jizz. Once he’s eaten and finished his drink, he heads back up Kensington to what has become his normal spot. The fact that he _has_ a normal spot makes him want to vomit up what he just ate, but that would _definitely_ be counterproductive to pulling someone.  
  
Twenty minutes later he’s slipping into another man’s car, the third one of the night, and he hopes that this time he’ll come out with the money he needs for the month.


	2. According To You by Orianthi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Body image issues.  
> Genre: fluff, hurt/comfort  
> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Also, it got longer than intended but fuck it.

_According to him, I’m beautiful, incredible, he can’t get me out of his head._

_———_

His stomach jiggles when he presses a finger deep into the fat of his abdomen, and the sight causes his lips to twist into a snarl. His diet isn’t going anywhere near as well as he wants, since he’s a piece of shit with no fucking impulse control. And since they’ve been on the road for the past few weeks, it’s been a lot harder to keep with the diet since it’s so much easier to just grab some Wendy’s or some Taco Bell or something equally garbage-like to fulfill his hunger instead of searching for an actual restaurant where he can actually eat something designed for human consumption.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door and Arin sighs loudly. He’d forgotten to grab his shirt when he grabbed his boxers and pajama pants before he hopped in the shower. He makes a noise of affirmation, and seconds later the door opens and Dan sticks his fluffy head in. He’s greeted with the wide expanse of Arin’s back, as he’s still facing away from the door. Upon seeing the expression on Arin’s face reflected in the mirror, he frowns and steps into the still-muggy room. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

Arin shrugs, but the way he curls in on himself tells Dan everything he needs to know. There’s a boundary here that he’s not entirely sure he should cross, but he decides  _ fuck it _ , and he comes up behind his friend. Slowly, oh, so slowly, Dan leans close and rests his chin on Arin’s shoulder before draping his arms over Arin’s own where they’re covering his stomach. A blush is spreading up over Arin’s cheeks, and it makes Dan smile. “Dan?” Arin asks quietly. This is abnormal for them. Yeah, they have basically no boundaries whatsoever when it comes to personal space, but this feels… different. It feels more visceral, like they’re on an edge of a cliff, deciding whether they should jump or run away from it like pussies.

“I probably don’t tell you enough,” Dan begins, meeting Arin’s eyes in the mirror, which causes the blush on the younger man’s cheeks to darken a fraction. “You’re fuckin’ beautiful, man.” A strange noise works its way from Arin’s throat, and he jolts slightly. Dan tightens his arms around his friend and continues on. “I know you struggle with liking your body sometimes, and I know that what I say can’t fix the way you feel about yourself, but like… Fuck, dude.” Dan turns his head and, after again deciding  _ fuck it _ , he presses a light kiss to Arin’s jaw. “You’re incredible, Arin. Do you have any fucking idea how hard it is for me to get you out of my head on any given day?” Arin shakes his head no. “Well, let me tell you,” Dan says with a grin, “it has definitely led to some long nights.” In a movement faster than Dan thought Arin was capable of, he’s turned in Dan’s arms and kissed him. It’s over before Dan has even really realized it’s begun, but it causes a smile to spread widely across his face nonetheless. Arin presses his face against Dan’s neck and wraps his arms around Dan’s thin waist.

“Thank you,” Arin mumbles against Dan’s warm skin. Dan kisses Arin’s damp hair.

  
“Any time, baby girl.”


	3. All-Star by Smashmouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: Angst  
> Pairing: Dan/Arin

_ You’ll never know if you don’t go. You’ll never shine if you don’t glow. _

———

“Go,” Arin urges, even though he wants desperately to drop to his knees and cling to Dan’s legs and refuse to let him go anywhere without him. “This is the chance of a lifetime, man, and you’ll always regret it if you don’t go.”

They’re standing at the boarding terminal in the airport, and Dan is staring at the hallway connecting the terminal to the plane. Fellow passengers trek down the corridor as the woman at the terminal desk begins boarding the passengers. Dan’s fingers are clenched tightly around the strap of his backpack; his knuckles are turning white from the strain. Finally, he looks away from the steady stream of people and back to Arin. “But, what about you? I can’t…” Tears have begun to silently run down his face.

Arin cups Dan’s strong jaw with his hands, smoothing his thumb over the sharp angle that’s dusted with facial hair. He kisses Dan softly, and when they part, Dan whimpers quietly, missing the contact immediately. “I’ll still be here, baby,” he assures him. “I’m not going anywhere. If you think that you can get rid of me that easily, you’re in for one hell of a surprise.” That, at least, pulls a laugh from the man in front of him, and it’s a beautiful sound despite the fact that it’s thick with tears and tinged with loneliness. “This is what you’ve always dreamed of, Dan, and I refuse to let you blow that chance just because of me.”

“You’re the most important thing to me, Arin,” Dan counters.

“And  _ because _ you’re the most important thing to  _ me _ ,” Arin says sternly, “you have to  _ go _ . I’ll still be here—this chance won’t.” They both jump when the attendant announces over the PA that zone two is now boarding the flight from LAX to JFK. “Go. Board your plane. You can call me when you land, and if it all comes crashing down, I’ll be right here waiting to pick you back up.”

Dan nods and kisses his boyfriend again, and before he can think any more about it since he knows that if he contemplates this any more, he  _ won’t _ be able to get on the plane, he murmurs his love and appreciation for Arin against his mouth before he pulls away from him and doesn’t look back.


	4. Afraid by The Neighbourhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Egobang  
> Genre: Angst  
> Warning: OCD

_ I’m afraid somebody else might take my place _

———

It’s been a weird and rough week, and Dan is more than happy for Friday to roll into town because that means he’s just that much closer to Monday, and he hopes that the fresh start will help him get out of whatever funk it is that he’s been in. He’s been overly emotional and anxious for the past five days, and it’s wearing him down. He has days like this every now and then, but it never drags on like this. He’s having enough trouble concentrating and just being an active participant in conversations that his friends are beginning to notice. Not even five minutes ago, Arin had called for a break since Dan kept spacing out and going silent, which of course rendered their recording useless. What is Game Grumps without their stupid banter?

Danny curls in on himself on the couch, eyes trained on the door that Arin had disappeared through a few minutes ago, citing that he needed to have a bowl of cereal while Dan figured out what was going on.  _ Arin’s mad _ , he thinks.  _ Arin’s mad and I’m ruining our recording and because I’m ruining the recording, we’re gonna be short on episodes _ . He clenches his eyes shut as the cyclical thoughts grow louder and louder. A pathetic whine escapes him as he winds his fingers into his hair and tugs sharply in an attempt to give himself something to focus on other than the intrusive voice in his head.  _ Being short on episodes means the fans will be angry and our views will go down and we’ll lose subscribers and we’ll lose money and then everyone is going to lose their jobs because of me and Arin’s gonna fire me because I’m destroying the channel and— _

“Dan?” Arin’s concerned voice rings out from somewhere near the couch, but Dan can’t bring himself to look up. He can’t bare to look Arin in the eyes and see the anger and disappointment that he knows must be brewing there. He jumps when Arin sits down right in front of him and clasps one of his wrists in his hand. Without saying anything, he pries Dan’s fingers from his hair one by one, and once he has both of them free of the curls, he holds them gingerly in his own. Slowly, so as to give Dan time to protest if he wants to, Arin pulls Dan in until he can tug the smaller man onto his lap. Dan buries his face into Arin’s shoulder. “What’s goin’ on, man?”

“Please don’t replace me,” Dan whispers, and Arin’s heart sinks into his stomach. “I promise I’ll stop fucking up, just please… don’t replace me, Arin.”

Arin doesn’t know what’s going on, but he tightens his hold on his friend and rubs Dan’s back slowly, tracing the knobs of his spine. “Dan, I wouldn’t… I  _ couldn’t _ replace you. You’re irreplaceable, man.”

“But I—”

“No buts, dude. Whatever this is, whatever’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours, we’ll get through it together, alright? You’re not going anywhere as long as I have a say in it.”  
  
“Okay,” Dan murmurs, and finally,  _ finally _ , the spiral of thoughts quiets down enough for him to relax for the first time all week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OCD is the fucking worst, dude


	5. Age of Aggression by Malukah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Genre: AU, Fantasy  
> Warnings: None

_ We drink to our youth, to the days come and gone, for the Age of Aggression is just about done. _

———

Dan’il listens to the quiet strumming of Malukah’s lute, letting himself get lost in the music and the beautiful timbre of her voice. The Bannered Mare is busy this evening, as many of the citizens of Whiterun are celebrating the victory of the battle that had taken place earlier that afternoon. Ten soldiers had been lost, as had Heimskr, for he had been inside his home when it was lit on fire and smashed. Many were mourning the loss of life, but as is customary, they were doing it together, having a drink for those that have passed into Sovngarde. 

“Here,” a voice says, startling Dan’il out of his state of relaxation. A mug of Black-Briar mead is pressed into his hand, and despite his distate for Maven Black-Briar, he can’t deny that she makes damn fine alcohol. Dan’il thanks Arin and takes a deep drink from his tankard. When he sets it on the table, Arin has already taken his seat and spread out the meal that he had gotten for the two of them. He winces when he slides Dan’il’s bowl of stew towards him, and the elf furrows his brow in concern.

“Does your arm hurt again?” he asks, tearing a piece of bread off of the loaf they have to share and dipping it into the broth of his dinner. “Once we finish our meal, I can redress your wound.” During the battle, a Stormcloak had sliced into Arin’s bicep before Dan’il could fire his arrow to take him out. Guilt was still rolling in his stomach. 

“I’m fine,” Arin assures him. “If you keep worrying like that, you’re going to die an early death.”

Dan’il aims a weak kick to one of Arin’s shins. “If the Thalmor can’t take me out,” he says with a hint of sass, “I’m pretty damn sure that my  _ well placed concern _ for my partner won’t kill me.” Arin rolls his eyes, but there’s a soft smile on his face. He squeezes Dan’il’s hand for a moment before returning to his meal.

“Shut up and eat your food, numbskull.”   
  
Dan’il just smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a Skyrim AU bouncing around in my brain for a long time now, and I'm definitely writing some more drabbles for it at some point.   
> Dan is half Bosmer, half Redguard. He has more prominent Bosmer features than he does Redguard. He is the Dragonborn.  
> Arin is a Nord. They've been travelling together since they escaped from Helgen. Arin was at Helgen when Alduin attacked for trade, while Dan had been about to be executed.


	6. All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: AU, Horror  
> Warning: None, but if you've seen SAW you can piece together what probably happened, so...

_ There must be some kinda way out of here. _

———

He’s still sitting in the spot he woke up in, a buzzing in his ears that’s infecting his body, dulling all of his senses until he feels almost like he’s underwater. Logically, he knows he’s in shock, but emotionally, he’s like a deer in the headlights. One of the girls that’s trapped in the room also is sobbing so hard she can barely breathe, and one of the guys, a skinny fellow with brown hair, bright blue eyes, and cheekbones that could cut glass has his arm around her, murmuring quietly, in what can only be presumed to be comforting words. 

The girl with the dark hair and the kickass eyeliner (which has since smudged all to hell) is tugging on the boards that cover the windows to no avail. “There has to be some fucking way out of here!” Her voice is shrill and somewhere off in the distance, Arin acknowledges that it hurts his ears. Her face is bright red from the exertion, and eventually she realizes it’s futile and she sinks to her knees and screams into her hands.

There are two other people in the room; a man that is reminiscent of a lumberjack, and a tall, thin guy with hair that belongs in the 80s. The hipster lumberjack is mumbling to himself while he rubs his temples, and the Def Leppard wannabe is searching every crevice that he can find in the room. Ten minutes pass, or maybe it’s ten hours, but Def Leppard eventually speaks. His voice is a little rough, but it’s soothing. Arin tries to focus on it.

“Guys,” Leppard says, holding up what looks to be a portable cassette player, “we’re in deep shit.” His hands are shaking like fucking mad.

“The fuck is that?” Cheekbones asks, and Arin notes distantly that he’s got an Australian accent.

Leppard presses play, and no one knows whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing when a deep, distorted voice comes from the device.

  
“ _ Hello. I want to play a game.” _


	7. All I Really Wanna Do by Sonny and Cher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: AU, Fluff  
> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> This got way too long but FUCK IT

_ All I really wanna do is baby, be friends with you. _

———

Arin peeks out from behind his stack of books at the kid sitting at the table that’s across from him. He’s alone, just like Arin is, and he’s reading a worn paperback that Arin has yet to fully catch the name of. He thinks it might be Lord of the Rings or Lord of the Flies. He’s in here every day at lunch time, just like Arin is, though unlike Arin, he doesn’t bring a sack lunch with him or anything. He’s a year above Arin, therefore they only have one class together—Algebra II. He’s never interacted with the guy before, since he sits on the other side of the room. He’s pretty sure his name is Dan.

Every time Arin thinks Dan might be looking up from his book, he ducks his head back down and continues drawing. He kind of feels like a creep since roughly twenty pages of his sketchbook are filled with doodles of this guy, but he can’t help it. He’s absolutely fucking fascinating to watch, and he’s gorgeous. Today, he’s exceptionally beautiful because he’s got his electric blue mane pulled back in a bun on top of his head, and he’s even got a pencil stuck in it. It shows off his bone structure like  _ whoa _ and gives Arin a chance to draw the angles of his face that are usually covered in a cloud of blue hair. He’s only realized today that Dan has his right eyebrow and his ear cartilage pierced.

He hasn’t looked up for several minutes since he’s focused so much on getting the angle of Dan’s jaw right that he doesn’t even notice that the subject of his drawing is leaning on his table, watching him. When he looks up, he freezes, eyes wide with fear. He can’t deny that Dan looks pretty fuckin’ intimidating, and he’s been caught red-handed  _ drawing _ him. Needless to say, he’s a little scared.

“Is that me?” Dan asks. He has a nice voice—deep, but not as deep as Arin’s, with a hint of an accent from somewhere up north. Jersey, maybe?

“Uh,” Arin says, intelligent as ever.

“You’re a fuckin’ awesome artist, dude.” Well, this is unexpected.

“Uh, thanks,” Arin mumbles. “Did, um, did you want to sit down?” Dan tugs out the chair and turns it around so he can straddle the seat, and he rests his arms along the back. He tosses his book onto the table. It’s Lord of the Rings. The two boys stare at each other for a few moments before Arin can’t take it anymore. “What?”

Dan smiles, and it’s crooked and beautiful and Arin immediately wants to draw it. “You’re cuter up close.” Arin lets out an embarrassing squeak-type noise and covers his face, causing Dan to giggle.  It’s one of the most beautiful sounds Arin has ever heard. “Could I maybe see your drawing of me?”

 

Arin nods and slides the sketchbook over to Dan, failing to realize that one of the other pages is visible. Dan carefully turns the page back one, only to find more drawings of his face. Arin is turning a color no human being should ever be right before Dan's eyes, almost like a fucking mood ring. 

“Shit,” Arin mutters.

“Can I?” Dan asks, beginning to flip backwards through the sketchbook. 

“Well, I’ve already been caught, so why the fuck not.” Arin waits with bated breath while Dan thumbs through the twenty pages that Arin has filled, and by the end he’s ready to flee the library, the school, hell, even the state. When Dan quickly stands up, Arin startles. Oh, God, he’s gone and scared the cute punk kid. He probably thinks he’s some creepy stalker and—

“C’mon. Grab your shit.” 

“What?”

“I’m buying you lunch.” Arin actually hadn’t had lunch today—he’d forgotten it in the fridge that morning. 

“Why?”  
  
“Friends buy friends lunch, now get up off your ass and come eat with me.” Arin hurries to pick up his things, and he can’t keep the bashful look off his face when Dan takes some of his books from him. He hopes this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	8. Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/His Hand  
> Genre: Smut  
> Warning: a hot JO sesh

_And the fever began to spread from my heart down to my legs. But the room is so quiet, oh-oh-oh-oh._

———

He releases a shaky sigh, feeling his muscles begin to relax as he drags a finger up over the planes of his chest, pausing for a moment to pinch his nipple lightly before continuing on. Between his legs, his cock is beginning to wake. His blunt nails leave pink welts where he’s dug them into his skin as his hand continues its journey south. He kicks his blankets off and cups himself through his boxer briefs for a moment before tugging them down and freeing one leg from their confines. A quiet gasp escapes his mouth as he lightly runs his fingertips up the length of his shaft. He teases himself with barely-there touches for a few minutes before he licks his palm.

The added slickness makes him groan, and he rolls his hips once into his fist as he begins to slowly jack his cock. He’s been worked up all fucking day. He had woken up with a fucking rager, and by the time he had calmed it down and gotten ready to work out with Arin, he was already strung pretty tight. And then Arin, the bastard, had waltzed into the gym in those godforsaken _CAAAAAAAAAKES_ shorts that Dan had (stupidly) given him with a grin on his face, and Dan had gone from zero to rock hard in half a second flat. He’d nearly gotten a fucking head rush from all of the blood shooting south. And, after they had finished their workout (Dan has no idea what reps he even did since he was too busy trying to not stare at his best friend), Arin had kept the fucking shorts on and had worn them _all day_.

A lewd moan fills the silence as Dan plants his feet on the bed and begins pistoning his hips. He brushes over his ferenulum with his index finger and tugs on his hair at the same time, groaning at the roil of pleasure in his gut. He’d be mildly embarrassed at how fast he’s going to cum but it’s been a while since he’s actually had _time_ to jack it, and he’s so fucking keyed up that he doesn’t care anymore. His cock is growing warmer in his hand, thickening slightly as he creeps ever closer to his orgasm, and all it takes to shove him headfirst over the edge his picturing Arin bent over on his hands and knees in those ridiculous shorts. Spunk shoots across his chest and his fingers, thick and warm as his cock twitches in his fist. He lets his legs fall open wide as his body goes slack with the rush of release.  
  
Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno what the lyric has to do with the drabble but it's what happened so here, take it.
> 
> Also, this didn't get posted last night because I was too stoned to function.


	9. Angels by The XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Egoflapbang  
> Genre: Fluff

_And everyday I am learning about you, the things that no one else sees._

———

Considering he’s been friends with Suzy and Arin for seven years now, he’d thought that he knew basically everything there was to know about the couple. It isn’t until he’s welcomed into their relationship as more than just a friend that he realizes how wrong he was. Being around them in this capacity is like being in school, but  _ without _ it being shitty and boring. He learns something new about one of them every damn day, and every bit he learns about them makes his heart feel closer and closer to bursting with how much he loves them.

It’s not even necessarily big, important things that are his favorite to learn, either. It’s the little things, such as Suzy’s quiet giggle when Mimi licks her hand, or the way Arin looks when he wakes up in the morning with messy hair and his Breathe-Right strip peeling off on one side. He’s collecting these tidbits and holding them close to his heart. 

He doesn’t always have the privilege of being nestled between them in their bed with Arin spooning him and Suzy pressed against his front, tiny feet tangled with his. When he’s out of town, alone in some unfamiliar hotel room underneath too-stiff sheets and an air conditioner that doesn’t work right, he has the bits and pieces that he loves so much of Suzy and Arin to wrap around him and hold him tight until he can return to the real thing.   
  
The only thing he hasn’t learned from his time with his two lovers is how to love them more than he already does, because at this point, it’s not possible. 


	10. All or Nothing by Cher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Barry  
> Genre: Angst

_And I’ve been trying to get to your heart, but I’m chasing shadows. We keep falling further apart. So near and you’re so far._

———

He knew when he reached for Dan’s hand in a simple gesture of intimacy that he would be snubbed, but he couldn’t help but hold out just a little hope, considering they were in a coffee shop that they had never been in before, way outside of their neighborhood. They’re surrounded by people they’ve never seen before and will most likely never ever see again. At this point, it doesn’t hurt as much as it did in the beginning, when Dan first began refusing to touch him in public in any sort of manner that could be construed as anything other than heterosexual. Even the relaxed hugs and headbutts and nudges that Dan was practically known for came to a grinding halt.

By the time they’re next in line, Dan has tucked his hands safely into his jacket pockets. This had been meant to be a nice little getaway for them before they had to head back to the office after running some quick errands, but now there’s a palpable tension between him and his boyfriend, and all Danny wants is to grab his iced caramel machiatto and bolt. It feels like an eternity before they both get their drinks, and instead of sitting down at a small table like they had originally planned, they exit the shop and get into Barry’s car in silence.

“Barry—” Dan begins, but he snaps his mouth shut when the normally amiable man turns to look at him with a cold fire in his eyes.

“What is it,” Barry says, his voice even and sharp on the edges like a razor, “that is so God damned bad about holding my hand in public?” Dan looks at his lap and picks at one of the holes in the denim, deigning to not answer. “What is so wrong with me that you can’t even _touch_ me unless we’re behind closed doors?”

“Barry, I—” Barry cuts him off, stamping whatever pitiful excuse he was about to use out like a cigarette butt.

“I don’t want to hear it.” The words are dripping with venom, and Dan flinches. “I’ve heard it all before, Dan. What you say doesn’t mean shit if you aren’t willing to show me, too.”

The silence is heavy, oppressive. Dan’s entire body is shaking. He knew that this day would come, has known it since the beginning. “I’m sorry.”

“Get out.” Dan freezes in disbelief until Barry repeats himself. Quickly, he grabs his coffee and exits the vehicle. He’s barely got the door closed by the time Barry is reversing out of the parking lot.

Danny watches his boyfriend— _ex boyfriend’s_ car disappear around the curb, and with a resigned sigh, he sits down on the curb and sips at his coffee, relishing in the sugary sweetness that coats his tongue. It doesn’t take long for his phone to buzz with a text. It’s from Barry.

**Don’t come home tonight.**

His coffee doesn’t taste as sweet anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this wasn't up yesterday. My sister's wifi refused to connect to my laptop.


	11. America's Suitehearts by Fall Out Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Genre: Fluff/Gen  
> My brain took my original idea and ran off of a cliff with it. I don't know what happened but it did, so here, take it.

_ You can bow and pretend that you don’t, don’t know you’re a legend. Time, time, time hasn’t told anyone else yet. (...I’m sorry, I just…) Let my love loose again. _

———

Even though he’s not the one that’s up on stage performing, Arin can feel the heady rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins as he watches Dan bounce around on stage, singing his fucking heart out. It’s a small venue, but the five hundred or so people that are there are all cheering and screaming and singing along with Danny about dicks and hot girls and all the other weird shit Ninja Sex Party writes songs about.

It’s the times like these, when Danny comes bounding off the stage after Brian (who has headed directly to the ‘dressing room’ to get his costume off because  _ good Lord  _ is it hot up on stage when wearing all black) that he can’t believe he’s even in this position right now. He’d gone from being a starry-eyed fanboy to the best friend and coworker of the goddamn lead singer! He gets to experience his biggest musical inspiration front and center and then go to work with him the next fucking day, and he  _ still _ can’t wrap his head around how amazing it is.

Dan’s skin is almost dewy, and Arin quickly hands the man a water bottle. He knows that performing can be kind of rough for Dan since he can’t sweat and he’s moving around so much while in a skin-tight outfit while underneath lights that could probably fry an egg. Dan gratefully takes the bottle and downs half of it in one go. He’s breathing hard as he and Arin shuffle into the small room that’s being used as Dan’s dressing room, and by the time the door is closed behind them Dan has discarded his cape and he has the top of his unitard off and bunched around his waist.  He sits down on one of the chairs that’s been shoved into the room, and Arin comes up behind him with a second water bottle that he places between Dan’s back and the chair. 

“Jesus, that’s cold!” Dan shouts, but he groans happily once he gets past the initial shock of the temperature. “Thanks, man,” he murmurs, tilting his head back into Arin’s hands. Arin slowly combs his fingers through Dan’s hair, massaging lightly at his scalp. “That was rad as hell but goddamn did I get warm up there. Whoever runs the lights needs to stop using twelve thousand watt bulbs.” Arin carefully pulls Dan’s hair up into a ponytail so that he can get it off of the back of his neck. “Thanks, baby girl.” He looks up at Arin, who is leaning over him from behind and he gives him a crooked grin. “How’d you like the show?”

“Fuck, dude, it was amazing! It always is, but like, you were super feelin’ it tonight or something because you were like a fucking ball of light up there. I will never understand how you can sing that fucking beautifully while bouncing around like the Energizer Bunny.” He knows his words are tumbling out of his mouth fast enough that they’re probably getting jumbled, but he can’t help it.

“I do more than bounce around like the Energizer Bunny!” Dan protests, but it’s half-hearted and said with a smile. He finishes off his first bottle of water and removes the bottle from behind his neck and cracks that one open, too. Arin brushes his hands over Dan’s shoulders, and when Dan doesn’t try to shrug him off or pull away, he carefully begins to knead the muscles in Danny’s shoulders, and the older man rests his head back against Arin’s stomach and groans. 

“Speaking of that,” Arin begins. “You  _ really  _ need to dance like that more often.” Dan had done more than his usual goofy flailing tonight—his hips had moved like a fucking rolling tide while he tangled his long fingers into his hair. He looked like one of Arin’s dreams come to life.

“Oh, yeah?” Dan asks with a hint of teasing in his voice. Arin can almost  _ hear _ the sly smile on his friend’s face. “Like what you see?”

“Shut up,” Arin mumbles, and he lightly pinches Dan on the shoulder. The laugh he gets from his friend in response is filled with warmth and that glorious post-show happiness that Arin loves to see Dan wear like a crown. Dan reaches up and brushes his hand over Arin’s bicep, squeezing reassuringly before turning his head enough to catch Arin’s eye. The wink he gives paired with the salacious grin on his face makes Arin’s stomach flip.

“I’ll give you a private show sometime. Promise.”

 


	12. All Of Me by John Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin (not necessarily romantic)  
> Genre: Fluff

_ You’re my downfall, you’re my muse, my worst distraction, my rhythm and blues. _

———

Sometimes it’s impossible to get work done while around Arin, though Dan would never resent him for that. It’s all on  _ his  _ shoulders. Arin doesn’t even have to do anything out of the ordinary to distract Dan from the track he’s supposed to be mixing or the lyrics he’s scribbling down. He can’t count how many times he’s spaced off, only to realize once he comes-to that he’s been watching Arin for the past ten minutes while he writes an email. It takes years for him to realize, though, that the same man that halts his progress while he works is also the same man that drives him to work harder than he ever has before in his life.

Danny is fairly good with words—he always has been. He’s been writing since he was a kid, whether it be the grand adventures of a wizard named Lazer or comedy stories about ninjas and dinosaurs or the poetry that he used to keep just to himself until they evolved into lyrics right before his eyes. He never much wanted to be a typical artist, what with the pens and the paints and such, seeing as he was quite content with his own forms of art that he could pull from his brain, but being around Arin makes him wish that he could draw. He’s always suffered from the “I can see it in my head but I can’t transfer it to paper” syndrome when it comes to traditional art, and there are times when he really, really hates it because if he  _ could _ draw, he would paint the entire universe and then some just for Arin, because sometimes there just aren’t enough words to explain the way he feels.

It’s times like this when Arin will come up behind him as he’s sitting on the couch (which is his ‘desk’, since it’s where he works most comfortably) and nuzzle his scratchy face against Dan’s neck just to make him take a break from working so hard that Dan realizes just how lucky he is. He has someone who loves him and who cares so much about his well-being that he’ll come and distract him for a while. The best part is that Dan often doesn’t even know he needed distracting—he’s so absorbed in his work that he loses sight of what’s going on around him and how stressed he may be becoming, but Arin is always there to take notice and make him take a break. He’s so grateful, and he really wishes he knew how to express all of that to Arin.  
  
As time goes on, the way Dan feels around Arin reminds him of the way he feels when he’s performing—when he laughs, it’s like the beat of the bass drum vibrating through his feet and up his legs, travelling until he can feel it just behind his sternum. Every time Arin hugs him, it’s followed by the rush that flows through his veins when he steps on stage and is met by a crowd of five thousand faces. Hearing “I love you” is the best, though, because it makes Dan feel like he does when an entire venue sings his lyrics back to him. He might be the singer, but Arin is the one that’s made of symphonies and song lyrics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i have a lot of gay feelings


	13. Animals by Nickelback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Ross/Dan  
> Genre: Smut  
> Warning: Road head

_ By now, no doubt that we were heading south; I guess nobody ever taught [her] not to speak with a full mouth, cause this was it, like flicking on a switch. It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch. _

———

“Ross,” Dan warns, voice tight and strained while he focuses on the road ahead of them. His long fingers are gripping the steering wheel so hard that they’re starting to hurt and his knuckles are turning white. He’s incredibly thankful that they’re on a basic road and not the freeway otherwise they would have died two intersections ago.

“Hmm?” Ross intones as he presses kisses to Dan’s collarbone. He’s unbuttoned the older man’s shirt almost of the way (though it hadn’t been very hard since Dan liked to wear his flannel halfway unbuttoned anyhow) and for the past five minutes he’s been leaving hickies across Danny’s tanned skin. Ross kneads Dan’s upper thigh with his right hand, just close enough to his dick that his knuckles bump the bulge in the denim every now and then.

“Do you have an actual deathwish?” Dan asks. He’s frantically looking for a place he can pull off of the road that’s not public enough for them to actually get caught. He sighs in relief when Ross’s lips disappear from his chest, but that sigh quickly morphs into a surprised moan when his pants are undone and his cock is pulled out of his boxers. “Fucking hell, Ross!”   
  
It’s a damn good thing he finds a dead-end road within the next minute because there’s no doubt in his mind that he would have veered off of the road and into a sign at the feeling of Ross swallowing his dick down with a moan and a wicked smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you judge me for my love of nickelback imma kick you in the keister


	14. Animal by Neon Trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Genre: Fluff

_Here we go again. I kinda wanna be more than friends, so take it easy on me. I’m afraid you’re never satisfied._

_____

“Nervous?” Arin asks quietly, and Dan lets out a nervous giggle. Their foreheads are pressed together and Dan is looking down at his lap, willing the blush that he knows Arin can see on his cheeks to go down. He jolts in surprise when the hand that's not resting lightly on his knee comes up to cup the side of his neck. Arin's thumb brushes carefully across Dan's unshaven jaw. “You don't have to be nervous, man. It's no different than kissing a girl.”

That comment finally gets Dan to look up, and the breath catches in his chest. This close, he can see the minute freckles that caress Arin's nose and cheeks, and the shades of red and blond in his eyelashes. “It is different, though,” Dan explains quietly, “because it's you.” Arin chuckles and the warm puff of air that blows across Danny's face makes goosebumps rise on his arms. “I don't wanna fuck this up somehow.”

“I promise,” Arin begins, and the hand resting on Dan's knee clenches minutely, “that you won't fuck this up.” Slowly, Arin leans forward, and after a second of making sure their noses don't smash together, their lips meet.

It's not the fireworks and flashing lights that he's heard people describe, but it is like that first sip of tea, the one that warms you from the inside out. Dan clutches Arin's shoulder like a lifeline when the younger man tilts his head slightly. They're taking it slow, but that one degree more of intensity has knocked the wind out of Dan.

“Wow,” Dan whispers with a tiny giggle when they part. Arin kisses the tip of Dan's nose before pulling him close so they can cuddle.

“Wow, indeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've missed a few days. I've been feeling sick and when I'm sick I really can't concentrate enough to write.


	15. The Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At the Disco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Brian  
> Genre: Smut  
> Warning: Prostitution

_ There’s nothing wrong with just a taste of what you paid for. _

———

“Are you sure that you don’t want a taste?” the prostitute says, his voice nearly a purr. “You’ve already paid for my time, and I’d hate to see you go unsatisfied.” He’s got long, curly brown hair that reaches just past his shoulders. He’s wearing jeans that look practically painted on, and they hang low on his surprisingly curvy hips, showing off the dark trail of sparse hair that lead down into the waistband of his jeans and the sharp angle of his hipbone. His shirt is honestly going to taint Brian’s thoughts and feelings about Def Leppard; the women’s cut tank top that he’s wearing reads “Love Bites”. Brian knows that he’s never going to be able to listen to Hysteria again without popping wood. Danny smiles in a way that looks both innocent and also salacious as hell at the same damn time, and what little resolve Brian is still holding onto begins to rapidly deteriorate.

_ I  _ **_did_ ** _ already pay for his time,  _ Brian thinks. He’d needed to borrow Danny’s cellphone since his had died and he was the only person within at least three blocks. Danny had said that it would be the cost of a nice fuck for Brian to use his cellphone, not expecting him to actually pay it. 

“C’mon, baby,” Danny murmurs, taking Brian’s hands in his and leading them to his hips. “You can touch me.”

Brian groans under his breath as he clenches Danny’s hips lightly, pulling the thinner man closer. Danny braces his hands on Brian’s shoulders with an airy moan. The way he looks down at Brian through his long eyelashes is downright fucking sinful. Danny rolls his hips down against Brian’s like a fucking tsunami, and Brian swears loudly. He's looking down at Bri with a blissful look on his face, complete with his spit-slick bottom lip clenched between his teeth. Brian wants to kiss him so fucking badly it almost hurts. “Can I kiss you?” he questions, voice rough with pleasure.

Instead of an answer, Danny kisses Brian hard, nibbling on his bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth while his hips roll in a smooth motion against Brian’s. Brian wants to say slow down since he really wants to cum inside Danny and not in his jeans, but he can’t bring himself to because it feels so fucking good. He could always pay for another round after the refractory period...

It doesn’t take more than five more rolls of Danny’s hips before Brian is cumming in his boxers. Bri immediately expects Danny to get off of him and go. He doesn’t expect him to whisper into his ear.  
  
“How many rounds do you think you can go, hmm?”


	16. Barbie Girl by Aqua

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pairing: Arin/Dan  
> genre: smut  
> warning: cross-dressing
> 
> i have no excuse for this

_You can touch, you can play, if you say I’m always yours._

———

It feels strange to be seated at a bar, Dan muses, considering he hasn’t been in a bar with the express intention to actually _drink_ in years. The bar is pretty empty; there are probably twenty five people in the small establishment, not counting Dan and the bartender. It’s the main reason he and Arin picked the place for their little outing tonight. It’s out of the way from their neighborhood and not what one would call a nighttime hotspot.

Dan was never really a big drinker once he got out of college (unless it was quote unquote _girly drinks_ cause that shit tastes like candy), but he’s enjoying his bottle of Dos Equis much more than he expected to. He’s halfway through his second bottle and a small order of nachos when someone seats themselves on the stool next to him. He glances at them out of the corner of his eye, but quickly does a double-take.

He hasn’t seen Arin since he left the office to head here—Arin had gone home to get dressed before catching an Über to the bar. He is _definitely_ not expecting the person that just sat down next to him wearing a skirt and flowy crop top to be his boyfriend. He’s got his hair pulled back and up into a messy bun, complete with a few stray locks of hair hanging in his face. His brown eyes are lined with thick black eyeliner that ends in deadly stiletto points, no doubt courtesy of Suzy. His eyeshadow is smoky, reminiscent of the first video where Suzy put makeup on him. A smear of shimmering gold highlights his cheekbones, and his lips are tinted with a blush pink, matte lip stain. He looks drop dead gorgeous.

If the bartender finds the sight of a man like Arin wearing traditionally feminine clothes and makeup strange, he doesn’t show it and Dan is thankful. “What can I get for you?” the bartender asks, and Arin drums his fingertips on the bar while he thinks. His nails match the pink of his shirt.

“A Shirley Temple, please,” Arin tells him. The way he’s pitched his voice slightly higher shouldn’t have such an effect on Dan, but it does, and he feels the telltale warmth in his groin that signifies he’s getting hard. It’s really hard to tear his eyes away from Arin, but he forces himself to do so and he refocuses his gaze on the TV over the bar that’s showing the Ravens game. He can hear Arin politely thank the bartender when he receives his drink, and when Dan chances a look back that direction, he almost regrets it immediately. Arin is watching him with a coquettish look on his face as he sips his drink through his straw. The fucker knows what he’s doing. “Hey, there.”

Dan takes a swig of his beer to wet his throat, which has gone miraculously dry in the minute since Arin has sat down. “Hey, yourself, beautiful.” Even though they roughly planned out this scenario the night before, Arin still blushes when Dan smiles at him. As they chat, Dan can feel himself slipping into the Sexbang headspace. It’s not as difficult as expected to flirt with Arin as if they were strangers. Dan waits until Arin has finished his drink before he leans in close. “Would you like to come back to my place, baby girl?”

Arin bites his bottom lip and nods. Dan quickly pays for his beers and his order of nachos along with Arin’s Shirley Temple before he takes Arin’s hand and drags him outside. He’s thankful he’d ordered a glass of water once he finished his beer, so his mouth doesn’t taste like nachos and Dos Equis when he presses Arin up against the side of his car and kisses him hard. He can taste the cherry from Arin’s drink on his tongue.

When Arin pushes him away, he sees in the dim light from the streetlamp that his lipstick has smeared slightly. Danny wipes the smudge off of Arin’s bottom lip with his thumb; his eyes widen and he groans low in his throat when Arin sucks the digit between his lips. “You’re playing with fire, sweetheart,” Dan warns Arin.

“Maybe I’m looking forward to getting burned,” Arin replies with a wink before he opens the car door and climbs into the vehicle. Dan clambers into the driver’s side faster than he thought possible.

The drive back to his place feels like it takes years, and Arin’s hand rubbing incrementally higher on his thigh the further they drive doesn’t help matters one bit. By the time they’ve pulled into Dan’s garage, Dan is hard enough to cut fucking diamonds. At the rate he’s going, he’s going to have a permanent imprint of his zipper on his dick. The front door has only just shut behind them when Dan presses Arin up against it. He immediately slides one hand up the thickness of Arin’s thigh and underneath his skirt. He swears underneath his breath when his fingers meet lacy fabric. “Shit, baby girl.”

Arin tugs Dan in so he can kiss him, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth and nibbling on it before sliding his tongue against Dan’s. Dan squeezes Arin’s ass, digging his fingers into the plump skin; he smiles into the kiss, triumphant, when Arin moans quietly. His free hand strokes at the skin of Arin’s stomach before slipping higher underneath the crop top. He’s _definitely_ not expecting to be met with lacy material here. He grinds his hips forward, and he can feel Arin’s erection against his hip.

They don’t even make it to the bedroom—Arin shoves Dan onto the couch as they pass it and he straddles him with a languid roll of his hips before he whips his shirt off over his head. Dan stares in awe at the lacy pink bralette that Arin’s wearing. It’s see-through, and Dan can see the dusky pink color of Arin’s nipples through the fabric. With a lewd groan, Dan leans in and sucks at one of them; the lace rasps against his tongue in a way that sends a tingle down his spine. He looks up at Arin with dark, lust-blown eyes, and Arin moans quietly at the sight. When he switches sides, he takes up the spot his mouth had previously occupied with his hand, kneading and pinching at the hard nub with his thumb and index finger.

Arin pulls out of Dan’s grasp with a grin, loving the whimper that he pulls from the older man. He undoes Dan’s belt and tugs his jeans and underwear down enough to free his cock before spitting on his hand and slicking him up. Danny’s fingers dig into the fabric of the couch at the feeling of Arin stroking him firmly. Arin doesn’t even take off his skirt—he just tugs his panties down and steps out of them before he climbs back onto Dan’s lap and guides himself down onto Dan’s dick. He’d prepped himself before he left home, but it’s still a stretch, and he gasps loudly at the feeling of Dan filling him.

“Fuck, baby girl,” Dan growls between clenched teeth as Arin sets up a brutal pace. “So fuckin’ tight.” They both know this isn’t going to last long—they’re both wound so tight from their little roleplay scenario that they don’t even bother to try and drag it out. Arin comes first, and his orgasm pulls Dan over the edge with him.

Arin sags against Dan’s chest and presses soft kisses to his neck as he tries to catch his breath. Danny rubs his hand over Arin’s sweaty back.  
  
“We should roleplay more often, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drabble? i dont know her


	17. Best Friends Forever! by Ninja Sex Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Gen  
> Genre: AU - In Universe Ninja Sex Party  
> Warning: Mild violence
> 
> I've never written in universe nsp before so if it's a little awkward, that's why.

_ Ninja Brian, what are you doing? What is that? Is that a knife? Oh, it’s a knife; I can tell by the way it’s stabbing me. Good talk, buddy. _

———

Danny pushes open the door to Ninja Brian’s bedroom and he just barely manages to dodge the shuriken that’s chucked right at his head. It embeds itself in the wall behind Danny, creating yet another hole. Danny tugs the weapon out of the drywall and sets it on the bookcase by the door. Ninja Brian is giving him The Look™ and he can’t help himself—he sticks his tongue out at the ninja, and again, he has to dodge another shuriken. 

After placing the second one atop the first, Danny leans against the doorframe and adjusts his kimono. “Did you kill another one of my friends?” Brian stares at him without blinking, and Danny sighs. “This is really starting to become a problem, man. Do I need to find you a Murderer’s Anonymous meeting again?” 

_ No _ , Brian signs.  _ I just disposed of someone who was getting too close. _

Ninja Brian’s death-stare continues and a wicked grin spreads across Danny’s face. “Oh, my God, Ninja Brian, are you  _ jealous _ of my other friends?” Within a second, Brian is in front of him, close enough for Danny to smell his cologne (Punishment and Pomegranate by Calvin Klein)  and there’s a pain in Danny’s stomach. “Is that a knife?” Brian pushes it slightly deeper into him and he flinches. “Yeah, that’s a knife—I can tell by the way it’s stabbing me.” Brian withdraws the sai from his abdomen and wipes the blood off on the embroidered handkerchief he pulls from his sleeve. Dan claps his hand onto Ninja Brian’s shoulder. “Good talk, buddy.”   
  
He has to dodge another shuriken on his way out.


	18. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Brian  
> Genre: Angst  
> Warning: Infidelity

_ We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times. You go back to her and I go back to, I go back to us. _

———

They always say that  _ this is the last time, you know this is wrong, we can’t keep doing this, I’m fucking married and this isn’t right,  _ but they never stick by their own words. It’s like being on autopilot—at this point they’re saying it because it’s expected of them, not because they mean it.

It’s never questioned when he goes home smelling like campfires and cinnamon, never questioned why Dan doesn’t come around their house anymore. They make sure to never leave marks on the skin—it’s the bruises and the abrasions that have settled bone deep, right in his chest that no one can see that hurt the most. He’s unfaithful, he’s broken his vows to the woman he promised to be with, but he can’t bring himself to stop.

The ache of an empty bed after he leaves and goes back to her fills his veins like lead. The smell of Brian on his sheets is all he has for the moment, because the older man has to go home, play his role, pretend nothing has happened. It’s a routine by now, though they never fully get together with the intent of falling into bed together, it happens anyway. When they’re not destroying the very foundation of each other, they can pretend it’s not real until the room is dark and Danny’s legs are wrapped right around his waist. They can pretend that the last time was indeed  _ the last time _ .

It never is. 


	19. Beautiful Liar by Beyoncé & Shakira

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/OC  
> Genre: Angst

_ When the pain and heartbreak’s over, I have to let go. The innocence is gone. _

———

He thinks about the gleam of the opal ring he had been looking at the other day, how even though it was small, it was polished to an ethereal lustre, and how the beautiful galaxy of colors within the gemstone reminded him of the way her smile made him feel. He thinks about the soft black velvet box it would come in and how cush it would feel against his fingertips as he caressed it in the pocket of his jeans, anticipation rolling through his veins as he waited until the perfect moment to surprise her.

He thinks as he stares at the hickies on her neck that were  _ most definitely  _ not put there by him in the throes of their passion. He thinks about the good and the bad and the inbetweens and how for the first time in his life, he wanted to share those moments with someone else for the rest of his days. As she cries and apologizes, he thinks about how he should have seen it coming, how the ‘late nights’ at her job were anything but, about how whoever  _ he _ was probably had her pushed up against a filing cabinet, tasting her sweet skin.

The door closes behind her as she leaves with a box full of her stuff, and the  _ snick _ of the lock sounds like a gunshot in his head. He’s alone, but not lonely enough. The air still smells like her, still tastes like the lilac lotion she had been putting on earlier. He thinks, as he settles down on the floor of his closet, the only space where he can’t feel her still underneath his skin, tearing at his bones, that he’s glad he didn’t buy the ring.  
  
Years later, the smell of lilacs still make his stomach turn.


	20. Blank Space by Taylor Swift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Arin/Dan  
> Genre: Pre-smut/AU  
> Warning: Strippers ahoy

_ Saw you there and I thought, “Oh my, God, look at that face. You look like my next mistake.” _

———

This was so out of the realm of his usual behavior that he was beginning to wonder if he’d experienced some sort of  _ Invasion of the Body Snatchers _ type event. He didn’t go to clubs, and definitely not strip clubs. He  _ especially _ didn’t go to  _ male _ strip clubs, but here he is, sitting at a table plopped right at the end of the oblong stage with a glass of rum and coke in his hand, watching the dancer in front of him move in ways he wasn’t aware the human body could move. He prays to whatever deity that will listen that no one recognizes him—he’s not in his neighborhood but he’s also not super far away from it, and the chances of him running into someone he might know isn’t low enough for him to be comfortable. He really hopes that if he  _ is _ recognized, no one asks why he’s here because he doesn’t even know why he’s here himself.

He’s so focused on the way the dancer in front of him is rolling his hips against the pole that he doesn’t notice the person that has come up to him until they’ve spoken. “Hey, there, handsome,” the voice says, deep enough to be heard over the thrum of house music. Danny turns his head and he’s met with a gorgeous pair of brown eyes. He looks sexy as hell, with his silky-looking hair piled up on his head and his dark, sultry makeup done to perfection. The glitter that he has smeared on his cheeks and chest reflect the lights, distracting Danny for a moment. 

The dancer is wearing a sky blue pleated mini-skirt that probably doesn’t even cover his ass in the back, but Dan isn’t really complaining because there is at least a mile of thick, creamy thigh between that tiny piece of fabric and his knee-high stockings. His shoes are terrifyingly tall. His shirt consists of what used to be a tank-top, and underneath the shredded material Dan can see the black lace of the bralette he’s wearing.

He’s rock hard in his jeans at the sight.

“Hey,” he replies with a grin. “What can I do for you, baby girl?”

“You in the mood for a dance, baby?” 

“I dunno…” His mind quickly travels back to the last time he had been in a strip club, roughly eleven years ago. He's much more financially stable now but his bank account would definitely not be happy if he blew six hundred dollars again. 

A noise of surprise escapes him when the dancer straddles his lap and puts his hands on the back of the chair they’re in. He leans in close, close enough for Danny to smell the vanilla and cinnamon of his body wash, alongside the sharp tang of sweat. He wants to clutch at the thick hips that are just in his reach but he knows the rules, and instead he looks up into the dancer’s mischievous brown eyes. “C’mon, baby,” the dancer murmurs into his ear, and he can’t stop the full-body shiver that runs up his spine. “If your fingers are as fucking wonderful as they look, I’ll give you a nice, big, thick discount. How’s that sound?” The dancer rolls his hips and Dan has to clutch the sides of the chair to keep his cool. He’s never once in his entire life done something like this before. He doesn’t  _ do  _ one-night stands, and he especially doesn’t do them with  _ men _ . 

“Okay,” he says breathlessly.   
  
“I’m gonna take such good care of you,” the stripper promises before taking him by the hand and leading him off into the darkness of the club.


	21. Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Genre: Smut  
> Warning: buttsex ahoy

_[She] likes to pull my hair when I make [her] grind her teeth._

———

Danny hisses through his teeth at the bite of Arin’s fingernails against the sensitive skin of his back. They’re dull enough that they won’t break the skin, but he knows that he’s going to have welts that crisscross like latticework. He’s got Arin’s knees hooked over his elbows, and his hands are fisting the sheets near Arin’s shoulders, effectively bending Arin almost in half. The headboard thunks into the wall on every thrust Dan makes into Arin’s tight heat, and it’s a damn good thing that he doesn’t live in an apartment, because otherwise they would have several noise complaints.

Dan watches with rapt attention when Arin’s eyes roll back into his head, a direct result from Danny rolling his hips in a smooth motion as he fucks deep into his boyfriend. He grins wickedly and does it again, and he can feel the muscles in Arin’s thighs tense where they brush against his arms. “You fucker,” Arin gasps out, though any malice that might have been implied is lost with the breathiness of his voice. In retaliation, he reaches up and fists his hand into Dan’s thick curls and tugs.

The loud  _ bang  _ from the headboard slamming into the wall coincides perfectly with both men crying out. “Sh-shit, baby girl.” Arin tugs again, and Dan actually  _ growls _ deep in his chest. He drives his cock into Arin hard and fast, and it only takes another minute before Arin is screaming Danny’s name and coming hard enough between them that he nails himself in the chin with his own spunk. The absolute vice grip around Dan’s cock makes his eyes cross as he rides out his orgasm. He pulls out and grabs a couple kleenex from the side table and wipes the jizz off of Arin before tugging him over to the side of the bed that’s not soaked with sweat and cum. 

“Y’know,” Arin says sleepily as Dan kicks the comforter down the length of the bed so he can get to the sheet, “I think we might need to spackle the dent you put in the wall.”  
  
Dan’s cheeks flush pink and he quickly tugs the sheet up over them. “Shut the fuck up, Arin.”


	22. Accept My Shaft by Ninja Sex Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Danny/Ninja Brian (preslash)  
> Genre: In Universe NSP

_ You are the only one who can lift my heart up off the ground _

 ———

Brian stands in the doorway of Danny’s room (he refuses to call it the Lovenasium because that’s fucking stupid), watching the singer clutch one of his many silk pillows. Danny isn’t crying because he  _ doesn’t _ cry—Why I Cry is an exception, he’ll tell you, because sex makes only the manliest of men emotional—but he is pouting like someone kidnapped Princess Tinkles right in front of him.

“I don’t know what went wrong, Ninja Brian,” Danny says, though his voice is muffled by the silky pillowcase. “Everything was going so well!” Danny looks up at his friend, who has yet to move from his statuesque position in the doorway. He exaggerates his pout, sticking out his bottom lip. “The last time we made love, we had three and a  _ half _ minutes of ecstasy!”

_ What was her name?  _ Brian signs, and he just barely manages to keep from rolling his eyes when Danny’s face goes blank. He can practically hear the cherry blossoms blowing through Sexbang’s skull.

“Uh,” Danny says intelligently. “Missy?”

_ You’re a fucking idiot _ . Danny pouts at him again.  _ Get up off your sad ass and come eat.  _

Danny perks up almost immediately, finally releasing the grip he’s had on the poor pillow. The thought of food replaces his sadness at the loss of a lover almost immediately. “What are we having?” Brian doesn’t answer, and instead disappears into the kitchen. Danny follows him, and upon entering the room, he sees the array of sushi that Brian has prepared. “Aww, you made my favorite!” Danny cries, wrapping his arms tightly around the ninja. When he releases Brian from the hug, he’s grimacing. “I could’ve done without the kunai to my abdomen, though.”

_ Take it or leave it _ , Brian signs, and Danny can’t help but laugh. Even with the stab wound in his side (which is healing even as we speak), he feels better than he had ten minutes ago.

“Thank you, Ninja Brian.”


	23. Ain't it Fun by Paramore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin (pre-slash)  
> Genre: Flangst (fluffy angst)  
> Warning: Mentions of Jon

_ Ain’t it good to be on your own? Ain’t it fun you can’t count on no one? _

 ———

He’s trying to remind himself that this exact situation is something he and Jon had talked about once the channel had taken off, but that doesn’t make it sting any fucking less. Their very last session ended about twenty minutes ago, and Arin has been sitting on the couch with his head in his hands for the past fifteen. After he’d handed the hard drive to Barry so he could start editing, he had come back into the room and just… collapsed onto the couch in a puddle of dismay.

They’ve gotten almost a year out of this dumb little idea that had come to fruition during a fun game night with all of their friends, and that’s a lot more mileage than Arin had ever expected, but he’s grown so used to this—he has a steady income, and he’s finally financially stable enough that Suzy was able to quit her terrible job at Hot Topic. He’s the happiest he’s been in a long time, and now he’s afraid he’s going to lose it all.

Arin has no idea how much time has passed between Jon leaving and the sound of knuckles rapping on the door, since the blackout curtains are pulled shut over the windows. He expects it to be Suzy, figuring she got back from Holly and Ross’ house early, but when the door opens, it’s Dan. He hovers in the doorway, unsure of himself. He doesn’t want to intrude on Arin’s space while he’s upset. He knew that today was the last Grump session, and he had planned to come over a few hours afterward, but Suzy had called him and asked him to check up on Arin.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure,” Arin says. Dan situates himself next to Arin, watching as the younger man leans his head back against the couch and sighs deeply, closing his eyes. He wants to offer Arin comfort but he’s not entirely sure how. For the moment, he settles with putting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing in what he hopes is a comforting manner. Arin smiles at the gesture, and Dan feels some of the anxiety in his belly evaporate. The world isn’t a proper place unless Arin Hanson is smiling.

“Is there anything I can do, man?” Dan asks. He knows that nothing can help make it feel less like everything is falling apart—he’s been there  _ more _ than once, but he also knows that having a friendly face around can help soften the blow. 

Arin is silent for a long time—long enough that Danny is starting to wonder whether the younger man has fallen asleep. Eventually, though, Arin tilts his head to the side, training his gaze on Dan instead of the ceiling. “Would you wanna be Not-So-Grump?”

Dan’s stomach does a little excited flippy thing. How would that work? He has a job, a nine-to-five job at that, but he  _ does _ have weekends off… Arin looks so hopeful as he waits for Dan to answer that Dan doesn’t even consider saying no. Even if he has to go into work on Monday mornings feeling like a sleep deprived zombie, he’ll try to make this work. He can’t stand to see Arin sad.

“I’d be honored, dude.”

The smile he gets in response shines brighter than the sun itself.


	24. Angels On the Moon by Thriving Ivory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Ninja Brian/Danny Sexbang (pre-slash)  
> Genre: Fluff, Angst, AU  
> Warning: talk of injuries and blood  
> ~  
> i had an idea and then it shot itself into space and this was the result

_ Show me where you run to when no one’s left to take your side. _

 ———

Danny watches with wide, disbelieving eyes eyes as Brian flash-steps past him, successfully escaping the embrace he had just tried to give the ninja. The bedroom door slams hard enough that Danny’s framed portrait of Princess Tinkles shakes ominously where it’s hung over the aquarium. Danny sighs but decides to leave it alone for the moment in favor of cleaning his wounds and showering. He’s absolutely covered in blood, most of it his own, and it’s starting to mat his luscious locks, and that’s just not something he will stand for.

It still hurts a bit to breathe and his mouth still tastes like blood, but he’s not coughing it up anymore, and he can feel the familiar tingling warmth that signifies his body regenerating resounding in his chest. He knows that his lung got punctured by one of the warring ninja’s katanas, and he’s pretty sure he fractured a few ribs. His nose was definitely broken earlier and moving it back into place had nearly made him vomit, but all that’s left of that injury is some faint bruising and the copious amounts of blood that have dried on his face. By the time he gets out of the shower, the ache in his chest has diminished to a dull throb, and there’s only one large cut still stitching itself back together on his bicep. He’s sore as hell, but that’s to be expected.

Modesty is not a word Danny is familiar with, and he pads on bare feet to his bedroom buck naked, pausing only to see if Ninja Brian’s door is still shut. It is. Danny sighs and tosses the kimono he had been wearing earlier into the trash. It was one of his favorites, but it’s stained and practically shredded in places, and even Ninja Brian’s amazing tailor skills can only stretch so far. Once he’s clad in one of his short, evening kimonos (foregoing the usual thong since it’s almost bedtime and if he wants to freeball it in his own home, he will, dammit!), he slides his feet into his favorite bunny slippers and heads back into the hallway. He shuffles his feet, making sure to create enough sound that there’s no way Ninja Brian won’t know he’s coming before he knocks on the ninja’s door.

“Ninja Brian, I know you’re in there. Come on out and watch Blue’s Clues with me.” Danny leans closer to the door. “We can watch an episode with Magenta in it since I know she’s your favorite.” Danny hears nothing but silence, and he huffs through his nose. He knocks again. “Ninja Brian, you can’t stay in there all night.” Still no answer. Danny crosses his arms over his chest in annoyance. “Well, then I’ll just have to come in.”

Before he can move, he hears the lock click, and Danny rolls his eyes. Really? He reaches up and runs his fingers over the lip of the doorway until he finds the key, and he quickly fits it into the lock. With a shove of his hip, he pushes the door open and he immediately has to drop to the ground to keep from taking a shuriken to the chest. The weapon embeds itself in the wall behind Danny and internally, he groans. He’s going to have to spackle that wall  _ again _ . When he deems it safe (or as safe as one can be when in a murderous ninja’s bedroom), he stands back up and looks at his friend.

_ Leave _ , Brian signs. His eyes are hard as ice, but Danny stands his ground. 

“No,” he answers simply. Even in the dimness of the room, Danny can see Ninja Brian’s left eye twitch. This time, he catches the shuriken as it comes flying at him, and he chucks it onto the dresser behind him. “Something is wrong and I want to fix it.”

_ Everything is fine. Leave. _

“Brian, that’s absolute bullshit and you know it,” Danny says, and they’re both slightly taken aback by his tone. Danny very rarely gets angry, and it’s never with Ninja Brian. He takes a careful step forward, and when Brian doesn’t make any moves to stab him, he sits down on the bed. The black silk sheets are soft under his bare thighs. “I don’t understand why you won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Ninja Brian wants to flee the room, but he knows that if he does, even with the use of his flash-step, Danny can still catch him if he wants to. The man may not use his ninja training any more, but it doesn’t mean he’s forgotten it. He looks at Danny, and his stomach seizes at the sad look in his brown eyes. He feels even worse with the knowledge that he made Danny sad.

That’s the problem, though. He  _ feels _ . He’s not supposed to have to deal with this emotional bullshit. He’s a ninja and he learned long ago that feelings interfere with the ability to do his job. He envies the fact that Danny has allowed himself to feel again, but he knows that it’s his job to protect them both. And after today, it’s obvious that he’s not good at that, either.

“Bri?” Danny says quietly, and he reaches out carefully. It’s a nickname he very, very rarely uses, but it feels like this moment calls for it. Brian flinches when Danny grabs his hand, but he doesn’t pull away, and Danny counts that as a small victory. “You’re shaking, man.” Danny tugs lightly on Brian’s hand until the older man budges from his spot. He sits down next to Danny after a bit more cajoling. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” 

_ I was…  _ He pauses, hands hovering in the air. Danny is watching him intently, letting him take his own time.  _ I was afraid _ , he signs. He’s watching his hands instead of looking at Danny, because he can’t bring himself to do so right now.  _ You were injured and coughing up blood. You weren’t waking up.  _

Danny feels his stomach swoop, much like the way it does when he sees a pretty lady.  He feels a bit like he does when he gets a boner, but for once, he’s not hard. Impulsively, he hugs Ninja Brian tightly. Under normal circumstances, such an action would end with a kunai or a sai stuck in his abdomen or thigh, but this time, Brian tenses up underneath Danny’s touch. “Relax,” Danny says quietly. “Please?”

It takes nearly three minutes, but Brian  _ finally _ allows himself to relax, and he hugs Danny back. They sit together on the bed for several long minutes, and Brian is amazed that Danny hasn’t pulled away with a cry of “no homo!” or turned the situation into some sort of joke by now. Only when Danny’s leg starts to go numb from how he’s sitting does he release his hold on the older ninja.

_ Thank you _ , Brian signs, and Danny smiles brightly at him. He stands and wobbles slightly, but he quickly rights himself before stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. 

“I’m tired,” Danny announces. He stares at Ninja Brian for a few seconds before grabbing his hands  _ again _ and tugging him into a standing position. “Will you sleep with me tonight?” Brian raises an eyebrow, and he’s happy to see the flush of embarrassment spread across the singer’s cheeks. “In a purely platonic sense, dude! Don’t make it weird.” 

_ Lead the way _ , Brian signs before shoving Danny towards the door. Danny laughs, and Brian can’t help but smile underneath his mask. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you mean it's two and a half pages long  
> i have no idea what you're talking about


	25. Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Dan/Arin  
> Genre: AU (1850)  
> Warning: Mentions of blood and death

_ It’s not Alabama clay that gives my trembling hands away. Ain’t goin’ back to Barton Hollow. Devil gonna follow me e’er I go. Won’t do me no good washin’ in the river. Can’t no preacher man save my soul. _

 ———

Danny’s hands shake violently as he dips them into the chilly water of the stream. The crimson stains on his hands bleed into the water, eventually turning pink before dissolving all together. He keeps scrubbing. It feels like the blood has soaked into his skin, has tainted him for all to see, for everyone to know just what he’s done. He had no choice. They were going to kill Arin. They were going to…

A choked scream tears from his throat when a pair of hands touch his shoulders, and he topples backwards out of his squatting position and lands on his ass on the dirt. His hands are shaking so badly that he can’t even manage to wipe the tears and snot from his face as he cries. The person behind him wraps their arms around his body, holding him tight. He can smell gun oil and leather and sweat.  _ Arin _ .

“Shh, shh,” Arin murmurs into Danny’s neck. He can feel Arin’s revolver pressed against his back, and his stomach heaves. He wants to tug the gun from the holster on Arin’s hip and chuck it into the river, but he knows he can’t. It’s their only means of defense. “I didn’t mean to scare you, baby.” They sit by the stream in the darkness, with nothing but the moonlight illuminating them. Danny cries until he feels his soul has gone dry. His hands are still shaking, and it doesn’t feel like they’ll ever stop. Arin tugs him to his feet before turning him around so that they can be face-to-face. “I know you’re scared, baby, but we gotta move. They’re gonna be lookin’ for us.” Arin’s lips are rough and dry against Danny’s, but it’s the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted. 

He laces their fingers together and squeezes tight before they take off into the darkness. All they can do now is run.


	26. All Around Me by Flyleaf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> genre: angst/hurt/comfort  
> pairing: egobang (friendship or otherwise)

_ Take my hand, I give it to you. Now you own me, all I am. You said you would never leave me. I believe you, I believe. _

———

He’d said it would never happen—it was always just movies and television and comic books, video games and silly ideas dreamed up to make money and to creep people out. He’d been a full, honest believer that it wasn’t possible, that a body couldn’t reanimate, couldn’t become a weapon controlled by something that we have no power over.

They said it started in the crops, a contamination from somewhere down in Latin America. He doesn’t know much about it, other than that it spread  _ fast _ . People were talking about food recalls like they are all the time, but this time around it wasn’t E. Coli. 

Never, ever would he have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, enough times now that it’s all he sees when he closes his eyelids. Faces distorted by fungal growths, gnashing teeth and clawing fingers, hell-bent on tearing whatever is in their way to shreds.

They’ve lost everything that made their lives normal and safe. 

He slips his hand into Arin’s, who is laying on the bed next to him listening to the sound of the rain beat upon the window of the empty house they’ve boarded themselves up in. He gets a gentle squeeze in return. 

  
Maybe he hasn’t lost  _ everything  _ after all.


	27. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> genre: gen/friendship, comfort  
> pairing: ninja brian/danny sexbang (implied/pre-slash)

_ Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside... _

~  ~  ~

Danny huffs heavily through his nose, and he squirms underneath his silken sheets. He punches his feather pillow, trying to reshape it into something that feels  _ right _ against his head. He’d even tried shaping it into titties about twenty minutes ago because he can  _ always _ fall asleep when using a glorious pair of baps as pillows, but it was a bust. 

He giggles to himself. Bust.

When the giggles fade, however, he’s still left uncomfortable and increasingly grouchy. He needs his beauty sleep! How else is he supposed to keep his handsome face looking as fresh as he does? (aside from multiple moisturizers and a chamomile under-eye wrinkle reduction mist) 

He’s tried everything that usually helps him recenter his whateverthefuck—he’s gotten up and remade the bed, he’s flipped directions, laying horizontal across the large mattress, and he’s even tried laying down with his head at the foot of the bed. No dice.

If he’s honest, he’s been having trouble sleeping ever since Ninja Brian started coming to bed after Danny was asleep. He knows Ninja Brian has important murders to commit and pies to bake, but he misses the presence of the other man on the other side of the bed. Ninja Brian relaxes him. Usually. Sometimes. Kind of.

Danny groans loudly and he covers his face with his hands. He’s tired, dammit, and he wants to sleep! Deciding he’s had enough, he gets out of bed, leaving the warmth of his blankets, and he grabs the kimono that’s hung by the bed. It’s one of his very short ones, and it happens to be Brian’s favorite. It’s black and gold, and it just barely covers Danny’s butt. He accidentally got the wrong size when he ordered it, but he embraced it instead of exchanging it for a larger size. He ties the sash neatly, and he grabs his stuffed unicorn off the bed and he stuffs his feet into his matching unicorn slippers. 

A moment later, Danny is shuffling into the main room with his stuffie tucked protectively against his chest. Ninja Brian has his mask off, which is nice to see. The other man is very handsome… Not that Danny has been looking, or anything. He just notices things like the angle of Ninja Brian’s jaw and the bow of his lips when he can see them because it’s so rare for him  _ to _ see them. 

Ninja Brian doesn’t look up immediately—he’s reading a very good book, and he wants to finish his paragraph before Danny distracts him. When he finishes the few sentences he had left, he puts the bookmark in and he sets his book down.

_ What do you need? _ Ninja Brian signs. 

Danny rubs his eye with his fist. His hair is sticking up on one side from all of his squirming and tossing and turning. He’s starting to pout from how frustrated he is.

“I can’t sleep,” he says, and he sounds a bit like a petulant child.

Ninja Brian raises an eyebrow.  _ What do you want me to do about it? I could always shoot you with a dart to knock you out.  _

Danny is unamused, and he frowns. “Those always leave me with a terrible drug hangover and, for some reason, really bad morning breath.” Ninja Brian is almost positive that there isn’t any correlation between Danny’s disastrous morning breath and his darts, but he doesn’t say anything. “Will… will you play me piano until I fall asleep?”

He’s embarrassed. It’s been a long while since Danny needed Ninja Brian to play for him so he could sleep. When they first escaped the clan, Danny couldn’t sleep, positive that their door was going to be busted down any minute. The only way he could fall asleep for over a month was for Ninja Brian to play piano for him.

Ninja Brian’s harsh facial features soften, and Danny receives a look from the older man that makes his toes curl in his slippers. His heart is doing the thing it sometimes does, feeling like it’s fighting a dragon inside of his chest. He should probably see a doctor. 

_ Of course. I’ll be in in a minute. _

Danny smiles shyly, and he shuffles back to the bedroom without a word. The kimono gets removed and hung back up, and his slippers are kicked off. The sheets have gone chilly without his body heat, and he shivers when he slips between them. His unicorn gets pulled close and tucked under his chin.

Because it’s both his room and Ninja Brian’s room, there’s a keyboard already plugged in in one corner. Danny sees the black outline of Ninja Brian crossing the room, and he hears the familiar squeak of the stool that sits in front of the keyboard. 

The keyboard buzzes softly when it’s turned on, and then the buzz fades into silence. Ninja Brian turns down the volume output before placing his fingers on the proper keys. He takes a deep breath and he begins to play.

Soft piano fills the room, and Danny practically feels it wash over him. It’s a slow, gentle song, and it takes him a moment to recognize it, since Ninja Brian is playing his own arrangement. When he does, he smiles. 

Ninja Brian’s presence alone helps Danny relax, and the beautiful music helps ease his mind into a calm enough state that he’s able to drift off to sleep before Ninja Brian even finishes the entire song.

When Danny falls asleep, Ninja Brian turns the keyboard off. He won’t be going to bed for another solid two hours. Before he leaves the room, however, he pauses next to the bed. Danny’s entire face has relaxed and he’s breathing deeply, snoring just loud enough to be heard. His wild mane of curls is spread out on the pillow. The blue light of the nightlight makes him look almost magical.

If anyone were to ask, Ninja Brian would fully deny leaning down to press a kiss to Danny’s temple, because that definitely didn’t happen. He would also deny pulling the blanket up higher to cover Danny’s chest so he won’t be cold. 

It didn’t happen. It didn’t.

And… if it did, well, no one has to know, right?


End file.
